His Great Love Toward Us

Praise the LORD, all you nations;
    extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 117

This psalm captures the essence of praise in miniature — it is the shortest psalm in the Psalter and the shortest chapter in the Bible. The psalm opens with a call for the nations to praise the Lord (verse 1) and then gives the reason for praise: the Lord’s great love and eternal faithfulness toward his people (verse 2).

117:1
The Lord is more than a parochial or tribal deity; he is Lord of all the earth (114:3 – 8; 115:15 – 16). Consequently, all nations must praise him. Psalms pictures a great contest between the rebellious nations and their Creator (see 2:1 – 6). The nations submit to their Creator by praising him (see 2:10 – 12; 108:3).

The New Testament attests that the nations have submitted to God because they praise the Son (see 2:10 – 12). Paul quotes this verse in Romans 15:11 to show that the salvation of the nations (Gentiles) has always been God’s plan. Thus, they should be welcomed into the worshiping family of God.

117:2
Love. The Lord’s faithful covenant love. In Psalm 6:4, the term unfailing love (Hebrew hesed) is one of the richest in the Bible, often denoting God’s steadfast, loyal love for his covenant people Israel. It had special meaning for God’s people coming out of Egypt (Exodus 15:13; 20:6; 34:6 – 7), and God promised this love to many generations of Israelites, including David (Psalm 89:24,28,33; 2 Samuel 7:15; Isaiah 55:3). More than half of the Bible’s references to this covenantal love are found in Psalms, about half of those in psalms of David.

Endures forever. Never wears out. His faithfulness to his covenant promises does not have an expiration date; it will endure into eternity.

Drawn from the verse-by-verse notes in the NIV Zondervan Study Bible.

How has God shown His love and faithfulness towards you? Post a comment below!

Bible Study

More
  • Your Identity in Christ

    If you can recognize the tension of the already/not... Read more
  • What if I’m Too Busy for God?

    Do you find yourself struggling to find the time in... Read more
  • God is our sustainer

    Who is God?

    Use this Bible study from the first chapter of Hebrews... Read more

Comfort

More
  • Your Identity in Christ

    If you can recognize the tension of the already/not... Read more
  • Burning Bush

    Burning Bush Moments

    God may choose to speak to you in ways that you never... Read more
  • How to Bring Light Into Darkness

    How to Bring Light Into Darkness

    How can we bring in the illuminating light of Jesus... Read more

Devotional Reading Plans

More
  • If I'm a Good Christian, Nothing Bad Will Happen

    If I’m a Good Christian, Nothing Bad Will Happen

    If you are good enough, can you stop bad things from... Read more
  • Why does a loving God allow bad things to happen

    Why does a loving God allow bad things to happen?

    Why would a God who is all loving and all powerful... Read more
  • How to Lead Small Group Discussions

    Leading a small group comes with its own obstacles and... Read more

Prayer

More
  • What the Church Fathers Had to Say About Christmas

    Read these passages of advent alongside timeless... Read more
  • A Top 100 Most-Asked Question About the Bible for the New Year

    Many people who read the Bible don't understand what... Read more
  • teach your children to pray for others

    Teach Your Children to Pray for Others

    This study from the NIV Adventure Bible can help you... Read more

SpeakLight

More
  • Romans 8:28 SpeakLight Danny Gokey

    Romans 8:28 / #SpeakLight / Danny Gokey

    And we know that all things work together for good to... Read more
  • James 5:16 - Steven Malcolm

    James 5:16 / #SpeakLight / Steven Malcolm

    Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for... Read more
  • 2 corinthians 5:17 phil joel

    2 Corinthians 5:17 with Phil Joel

    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new... Read more

Spiritual Growth

More
  • What if I’m Too Busy for God?

    Do you find yourself struggling to find the time in... Read more
  • Burning Bush

    Burning Bush Moments

    God may choose to speak to you in ways that you never... Read more
  • How to Bring Light Into Darkness

    How to Bring Light Into Darkness

    How can we bring in the illuminating light of Jesus... Read more

Topical Reading Plans

More
  • He is Not Here

    He Is Not Here

    The death of Jesus, the death of God, was the most... Read more
  • What is the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible

    What is the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible?

    Many people have found the Thompson Chain-Reference... Read more
  • who really was jesus

    Who really was Jesus?

    The author of the book of Hebrews explained, using... Read more